Skook News Obituaries: August 10th, 2026
Obituaries published from the Schuylkill County area.
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Born in Pottsville, he was the son of the late Kenneth and Elizabeth Umbenhaur.
Ken was a graduate of Schuylkill Haven Area High School. He then went on to serve in the United States Air Force.
Ken worked for Hetran Corporation before retiring in the mid-2000s.
He was a devoted father and grandfather. Ken attended every sporting competition and special event that he could.
He was a member of the Senior League at Hidden Valley Golf Course.
Ken was married to the late Arlene F. Moyer who passed away in 2020.
In addition to his parents and wife, Ken is preceded in death by his two sisters, Mary Alice Morgan and Elizabeth Zimmerman along with a young brother, James Umbenhaur. Ken is also preceded in death by his daughter Susan Drummer.
Ken is survived by his two sons; Kenneth Umbenhaur Jr. husband to Nancy of Friedensburg and Joseph Umbenhaur husband to Kristi of Auburn. Ken is also survived by brother; Paul husband to Anne, William husband to Mary Margaret, Edward husband to Theresa, two sisters; Jane Theil wife of the late Harry, and Mary Lou Brennan. He is also survived by grandchildren; Nicholas husband to Cheryl, Makenzie, Kyla, Owen, and Bryce along with three great grandchildren, Landon, Theo, and Micah and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Friday at Grabowski Funeral Home at 11:00 A.M. A visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M. until the time of services. Interment will follow on the grounds of Schuylkill Memorial Park, Schuylkill Haven. Memories and condolences can he shared at www.grabowskifuneralhomes.com.
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He was born April 27, 1942, in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, to Samuel and Marion (née Hornsby) Maurer. He attended Long Island University on scholarship and graduated as valedictorian in 1964, then earned his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970 under Raymond Willey. After postdoctoral work in cosmic ray physics at the Bartol Research Foundation (Delaware County, Pennsylvania) and seven years at AMP, Inc., where he learned accelerated environmental testing, he joined the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1981. He remained there for more than four decades as a member of the Principal Professional Staff.
At APL he was the radiation physicist on unmanned missions: he modeled the radiation environment a spacecraft would meet, set the requirements its hardware had to survive, and qualified the electronics against them. The type of critical work that is invisible when it succeeds.
He believed a broad physics background and a willingness to take on unfamiliar problems mattered more than specialization, and he said plainly that on a team of a hundred people, the goal of the team outranks any one person's ego. Colleagues and younger scientists found him generous with what he knew.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marian H. Maurer. He is survived by his sons, Jonathan Maurer and his wife, Katie, of Lewes, Delaware, and their son, Nathan; Dr. Andrew P. Maurer and his wife, Dr. Sara Burke, of Tucson, Arizona, and their children, Miles and Esme; and his stepdaughter, Sandra Wildes and her husband, David, of Verona, Wisconsin, and their children, Alex (Caroline), Connor, Christopher, and Ethan; and by his great-grandchildren, Kaiden and Charlotte.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the University of Pittsburgh's Richard Maurer Scholarship Fund, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, or the Parkinson's Foundation.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Hamilton-Breiner Funeral Home, 116 South Liberty Street, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed by luncheon.
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Catherine was a member of the former Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, St. Clair.
She worked at the former Good Samaritan Hospital in Pottsville.
In addition to her parents, Catherine is preceded in death by a brother, Melvin Thomas.
She is survived by her brother, Johnnie F. Thomas of St. Clair; her caregiver, Elaine Woll, wife of Tom, of St. Clair; and several nieces and nephews.
A private graveside service and interment will be held in Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Cemetery, St. Clair, on Saturday, August 22, 2026, with Deacon John Matalavage officiating.
James H. Evans Funeral Home, Inc., St. Clair, is entrusted with arrangements.
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These obituaries are being brought to by Mark J. Hummel Funeral Home, Frackville
